


Gears of War: YuGiOh!

by GargoyleKing



Category: Gears of War (Video Games), Yu-Gi-Oh!
Genre: Apocalypse, Bromance, Gun Violence, M/M, Puzzleshipping, Swearing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-10-14
Updated: 2015-11-16
Packaged: 2018-04-26 07:08:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 10,040
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4994950
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GargoyleKing/pseuds/GargoyleKing
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In a post-apocalyptic hellhole, Yami Yuugi is one of the last surviving soldiers. Yuugi Mutou has been missing for five years and is presumed dead. Yami had given up, when rumors of a resistance and their charismatic (but short) leader reached his ears. Now setting off into the unknown with only a few battle-hardened companions, Yami wonders... </p><p>Can he find love in Armageddon?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Oh Hell No

                “Yami, you can kiss my ass. I’m not going in there.”

                   “Will you just _fucking go_?”

                  “Do I look like grub meat to you? No. We are not going in there. Absolutely not. No.”

           Yami sighed, impatient. His armor was getting heavy, and Joey was being a total wimp. They

were standing about 50 feet in front of the opening, blocked east and west by big-ass gray cliffs.

Dust and sand were flying everywhere. Everything was gray and brown and ugly. A bleak, dirty,

grungy-lookin’ desert spanned out behind them and Yami was tired of looking at it. He grumbled. “It’s

just a cave.”

          Joey snorted, heaving his gun to point at the cave. “A cave full of fucking monsters, you mean.”

                   Yami rolled his eyes. “Stop being a pussy. We can-“

       “Oh my god, no. And it’s not even a cave, you dipshit. It’s a tunnel. Full of locust shit. We have

no backup, we’re running out of ammo, and I am _fucking tired_ , Yami,” said Joey. Yami winced at the

childish _whine_ of Joey’s voice. He’d been stuck with it for the past ten years. He was so done right

now.

        “If you’re not going to go with me, I guess I’ll just have to ask Kaiba if he’ll come. He’d probably

handle it better than _you_.” Yami challenged, pursing his lips and raising his head as if looking over

Joey’s shoulder. Also looking as if asking Kaiba to accompany him was something that could happen,

as if Kaiba _wasn’t_ hours away in god-knows-where. Joey groaned.

          “Don’t even mention that dickwad’s name to me. And jesus christ I thought we ditched him like

two mountains ago…or whatever we’ve been doing.”

         Yami hefted his gun and walked down the uneven slope toward the cav – uh, tunnel. It was too

late in the day for this shit. He looked back, calling Joey’s bluff. “Are you coming or not?”

          Joey threw his head back, a growly whine leaving his mouth. Sighing, he looked back down at

Yami. _Midget_ , he thought. _I’m taking orders from a midget_. Scoffing, he threw his pack over his

shoulder and stalked toward Yami, muttering obscenities under his breath the whole way.

          “If we die, I’m gonna eat your soul or some shit for getting me killed.” Joey said as he slapped

Yami painfully on the back.

       Wincing, Yami nodded. “Got it. You get first pick.”

          Joey glanced at Yami, his wry smirk smacking of sass. “Just the  _first_ pick? Don’t I get your whole

stupid soul to myself?”

         Yami grinned. “You know how many people are waiting for me down there? You’ll be lucky just

to get my nice ass-cheeks.”

         Joey sniggered. “Fuck off, Yami”

    Mock-grinning as wide as he could with five layers of grime on his face, Yami led Joey into the tunnel.

                                  

* * *

 

  

                   The tunnel was pretty dark. Very dark. So, so dark. Couldn’t see a thing.

           Joey and Yami were dead silent, tense and ready to shoot at anything that moved. They moved

slowly, crouching as they positioned themselves back to back, rotating around so that nothing could

sneak up on them.

           The tunnel was wide, maybe 50 feet across. Brown, ridged columns arched over their heads

and large red boulders were scattered across the floor. Stalactites hung from the ceiling. The air was

dry, arid, devoid of moisture, and pained their chapped lips and parched throats to breathe in. There

was a thin, foot-trodden trail suspiciously – and conveniently – down the middle that they were

following. Slowly.

             “This is taking fucking _forever_ ,” Joey hissed.

           Yami grit his teeth, exasperated by Joey’s bitchiness and extremely paranoid that they were

about to be attacked at any second. He exhaled a quiet, “ _Shut up_ ,” and hoped that would be enough

for Joey to shut his trap once and for all.

           It wasn’t. It never was.

                “…I’m bored.”

             “Shut up.”

                “And it’s like, really dark in here.”

             “Will you shut your fucking mouth!”

       They both jumped at a faint noise from Joey’s right. They were in the heart of the tunnel now,

where the light was dimmest and either end seemed miles away. A beat of silence passed, and they

waited, listening for any sounds of movement. Gripping their guns tighter, they strained their ears.

Nothing. Reluctantly, they both relaxed and returned to their positions. Yami sighed, the tension

palpable in his aching arms. “Thank god.”

         “ _DUCK_!”

        Joey tackled Yami out of the way as bullets erupted from the south end of the tunnel, back the

way they came. Shouting, Joey scrambled up against a rock, pulling Yami with him as bullets

whizzed past their heads. “I fucking told you! _I fucking told you!”_

          “I KNOW I KNOW!” Yami yelled, pulling himself up to return fire. Joey unloaded into the

darkness, screaming.

          _“Take that, you mother fucking insect bastards! And that, and that –“_

               “JOEY!”

           “WHAT!?”

                Yami shouted hysterically, pointing his gun at the ground and shooting. _“TICKERS!”_

Joey cursed, trying to keep aim while stomping on the crawling, spider-shit creatures. “Yami, no!

Don’t fucking shoot them! They’ll-”

               _BOOM_

    _boomboomboom_

          Small explosions surrounded Yami and Joey, dead ticker bodies littering their feet and riddling

their skin with stinging burns. Joey took the time to knock Yami upside the head with his elbow.

         “They fucking explode, you idiot! Just throw them back!”

      Yami nodded, and started hurling the tickers at the locusts with Joey’s onslaught as cover fire.

           The ticker explosions scattered and ruined the horde’s position and left Joey satisfied, hearing

soft thumps as locust after locust fell dead after eating his hot bullets. _Dumb, freaky zombie-looking_

 _bastards_ , he thought viciously. He was running out of ammo, though, and getting antsy. Soon they’d

have nothing left and they’d be hanging out in the open with their asses flapping, about to become

grub-meat or preferably, just really, really dead. Joey started to hop/walk backwards, getting ready to

– _“RUN, YAMI RUN!”_ he bellowed, turning around and sprinting into the darkness.

         Yami dropped his last ticker and took off after Joey. They rushed down the tunnel, firing

haphazardly behind them. They glimpsed dark, locust-shaped shadows following them. The pounds

of their heavy footsteps thudded in their ears, the bulky, thick armor pressing against their chests and

stomachs as they tried to move faster – their massive guns weighing down their arms. It was painful,

and they were tired.

          _Fuck_. Joey couldn’t even aim right he was trying to run so fast. And, he could feel it coming…he

was running -

          _“Shit!_ I’m out of ammo!”

       Yami, much shorter than Joey and having a hard time keeping up, gasped out “then…CHUCKit!”

           Never one to let a friend get away with saying something stupid, Joey bothered to turn and look

at Yami with an incredulous, _I-can’t-believe-you-just-said-that look._ “Are you fucking _crazy?_ Lancers

are the fucking _best.”_

          “CAN WE NOT TALK ABOUT THIS RIGHT NOW!?”

               “OKAY, OKAY!” Joey yelled, his voice hoarse. _Fucking prick._

           Yami grit his teeth, and forced himself to keep running. To both of their dismay, the tunnel was

only getting louder and louder with the rumbling sounds of locusts lumbering after them and the

scratchy scuttles of the tickers. Not to mention the ominous cracking sound of the stone ceiling above

them.

            _Oh my god._ “THE TUNNEL’S COLLAPSING!” Yami shouted. _Shitshitshit._

             _Is this tunnel going to fucking end?_

       “I see it! I see it!” Joey panted between gasps. “The light! _It’s there!”_

           Gradually, Yami was starting to make out a faint glow. _The moon?_ He’d like to see the moon

again. He hoped. God, he hoped.

           Despite their best efforts, they were slowing down considerably and their adrenaline was

tapering off. “Fuck!” Yami gasped. “I think we can – do you have any?” Yami gestured wildly with his

free hand.

        Cottoning on, Joey nodded. “Last…one.” He fished out his final flag grenade and spun around,

flinging it towards the ceiling.

            BOOM

             _CRACK_

            _“AHHHHHHH!”_

                       They dove forwards, landing headfirst in the dirt.

           The ground shook as massive slabs of rock slid out from the ceiling and crumbled underneath

its own weight.

            They crawled forward, trying to get as far away as they could from the debris. Yami hastily

scanned above them, and violently kicked Joey in the gut, sending him rolling across the floor.

             Stalactites rained down on them, huge ones that could’ve broken their spines and smaller

ones that would’ve pierced their skulls. Yami curled into a ball and waited for it to be over.

      They weren’t even completely out of the tunnel. God, please let this be enough. Please, he

pleaded. With god or with himself he didn’t know. He didn’t care about those kinds of things anymore.

           

        And as usual, right before he thought he was going to die he could only think of one person.

 

* * *

 

 

            Eventually, the cracking noises stopped, and dust settled around him. Yami coughed.

          _Ow_ …for all his dodging, he still got nailed by a broad-tipped stalactite on his leg. He tried

moving it, and stopped because of the pain. He sighed, straining to hold himself up by his elbows.

 _Nnnng_ …”Joey?” he tried to say. It came out like a dry rasp. He licked his lips, his ripped, bleeding

chapped lips and tried to cough. He heaved, coughing, a hacking cough that burned and seized up his

heart - he couldn’t stop - his gut doing its damndest to throw out his intestines and his throat ripping

with the force of his lungs. His back convulsed under the pressure and his leg hurt and his lungs hurt

and bile was dripping out of his mouth and there was blood all over the floor and _oh my god._

            “You sound like shit.”

          Yami tried to stop breathing, and was given a few moments of respite where he looked up at

Joey towering over him, covered in brown dirt and his dark blonde hair matted around his face.

             “….you _look_ like shit.” Yami managed to wheeze out. Joey sighed.

          Joey kneeled down next to him. That bastard didn’t look injured at all.

             “You kicked me pretty hard back there…asshole…” Joey prodded Yami’s leg. Yami groaned. It

felt so bad. _I hope it isn’t broken._

             “Hope it’s not broken,” Joey muttered. Joey raised his head to look outside. “Looks calm out

there. C’mon, let’s go.” He said wearily.

          Joey hauled Yami up by his armpits. Ignoring his dignity, Yami wrapped his right arm around

Joey, trying to keep his weight off his bad leg. Joey graciously half-dragged Yami’s ass out of the cave.

Tunnel.

           Joey set them both down on the walls of rock that the tunnel was embedded in. He tilted his

head up till it hit stone, his Adam’s apple bobbing as he tried to swallow any spit he had left.

          He felt like shit. Not just because they had just been attacked, and he was exhausted and

bruised and on the brink of death…no, he was used to that…but what where they going to do now. He

knew that they had… _kind_ of somewhere to go, but he couldn’t get his hopes up for that. His eyes got

wet, but he bit his lip and closed them. He sighed, a shaky, quivering sigh that spoke volumes to Yami.

            Clearing his throat, Yami spoke. “…we got any water left?” Joey pursed his lips and nodded his

head. He dug out his flask from around his belt and handed it to Yami. “Here, you can have the rest.

I’ve already had some.”

            Yami saw through the lie, but nonetheless accepted the offer. “Thanks,” he grunted, rolling the

water around his mouth, trying to regain the ability to speak properly. They sat in silence, watching

the last rays of the sun disappear. The moon sat in the sky, waiting.

            When it came, Joey’s voice was barely above a whisper. “…do you think he’s still out there? Do

you think that…it’s him?”

            Yami couldn’t stop the raw emotions that plagued him when he thought about it. He just wanted to pretend that he knew the answers, or that he knew where they were going or that they had a

 _plan_ and the world hadn’t completely fallen around them. “I…I don’t know. I…” Yami’s voice trailed off,

low in his throat, coming out guttural. “I just…”

            “I know.” Joey replied softly. “You have to know.” Joey glanced at Yami out of the corner of his

eye. Yami looked miserable. “…I miss him too.” Yami shuddered, rolling his head away to look at the

ground or into the distance. Joey let him, and feigned ignorance at the grief he knew was clawing at

Yami on the inside. He knew, because it was clawing at him too.

          Yami broke the tension, though his voice came out low and unsteady. “Th-thank you…for

coming with me. I’d be dead by now or would never have left or…yeah.”

          Joey tried for a smile. “Ya’ didn’t even have to ask. No matter what, remember?” Yami’s lips

quirked in what might’ve been, in another time, his trademark smirk. Joey laughed feebly.

          “Sorry,” Joey said. “I know I’m no good at the…” his voice caught in his throat, “…speeches,” Joey

mumbled, gaze fixed on the ground. The light mood he’d tried to bring back shattered under the

weight of the past.

           Yami spoke quietly. “…I know. It’s okay.” _Just don’t think about it. Don’t._

       They both locked their gazes firmly on the horizon, trying to think safe thoughts. It did no good

to dwell on the past…it was the past, and it wasn’t going to change, and - _it’s not going to bring them_

 _back._ Yami caught himself mid-thought, and sighed. How many times had he told himself that? How

many times would he insist to himself that anything was better than remembering the war, or the life

he’d had before it?

        He kicked a pebble away with his boot, trying to concern himself with the pretty way the sand

looked when it wasn’t filled with locust-shit or blood, or how nice the sunset looked with all of its nice

colors. He almost buried his face in his hands. _Fuck this._

                   “I fucking hate this whole world. If…if we can’t find what we’re looking for, then that’s it. That’s it.”

                    Joey snorted in agreement. “I hear yuh. I’ll help you burn it to the ground.” Snickering, Yami smiled.

        He patted Joey’s shoulder affectionately. “You’re a true friend, Joey. Couldn’t have asked for

better.”

         “Damn right you couldn’t’ve…” Joey mumbled, his eyelids heavy and begging to be shut. Yami

tried to do the same. He leaned back, staring at the sky and grateful that it wasn’t filled with reavers or

gas barges or any other shit he’d have to kill. He stared out onto the open land, frustrated by the

sight.

        _Another…fucking…desert._

         In Yami’s opinion, it was even uglier than the last one. And they had to cross it. And whatever

else was on the other side, and then that and that and…he sighed.

                    _Tomorrow is going to suck._


	2. Joey's Worst Idea Ever

" _Arrrghhh!"_

"Oh my god, shut up."

"No!  _Fuck_  you, Joey,  _fuck you!"_ Yami yelled, followed by a string of foul obscenities. He yelped in pain.

Joey rolled his eyes. "I'm trying to help you, you dipshit. Stay fucking still." Yami squeaked as Joey strapped a brace over his wrapped ankle. "You're such a baby." Joey paused. "Did you just like…squeak?"

"…No."

Joey grinned. "You did, you totally did." He laughed.  _Obnoxiously._

Yami closed his eyes and tried to pretend that he couldn't hear Joey and his appalling monkey-laugh. His life would've been so much easier if he were a tree. Or a rock. Or anything else that didn't have to put up with Joey or sprained ankles or _fucking deserts._

"Alright, up you get you midget. C'mon."

Yami grumbled, but allowed Joey to pull him up. He looked down at his brace. It was going to be hard, but he was reasonably sure he could still fit into his boot. Joey had actually done a good job. Not that he was gonna mention it or anything, but still.

"Ughhh," he whined. "How long do I have to keep this shit on?"

"What am I, a doctor? I don't fucking know." Joey replied tersely, cleaning his gun and reloading on bullets. His fingers stopped moving and he tapped his chest plate. It was a nervous tick he'd picked up during their time with the COG's. Shaking his head, he sighed. "We need ammo."

"Yeah."

"And water. Food. Supplies."

"I  _know_ , Joey. Why don't I just magic it up for you like I'm a fucking genie, will that make you happy?"

Joey groused. "You're such a  _dick_  in the morning."

Yami flipped him off and turned around, facing the desert.  _Ugh._  He turned back around.  _Nope._

And here he was, staring at the tunnel again. Where they had almost died.  _Nnng._  Now that they were on the other side of it, Yami could see that the tunnel looked weird. It wasn't part of some big mountain or cliff, but was short and wide like it was a  _shelter_  or something. It was clearly either built or repurposed for locust use. Yami wondered.  _Could there be supplies stashed somewhere in there? Underground?_

While they couldn't eat grub food – what the fuck did they eat anyway? – grub bullets shot just as well as any other. He frowned, thinking.  _Maybe we could…_

"Hey – Joey – you think there could be supplies in there?" he mused, 'innocently' thinking out loud.

Joey whipped his head around, eyes wide. "What? Oh  _fuck_  no! We are  _not_  going back in there. No fucking way!" he shouted, incredulous. " _Are you shitting me?"_

Yami scowled, and rebelliously limped over to examine the inside of the tunnel.  _Damn_. It was completely blocked up. Filled with rocks and crap.

He threw up his hands in defeat. "Alright, alright, but we  _need_  supplies Joey or we're going to fucking starve."

Joey's eyes narrowed. His face soured into a grimace, eyelids twitching from staring into the sun. "…I can think of  _one_  way." He said, pointing with the barrel of his gun. Yami swiveled and quickly scanned the area. He froze.

"Oh,  _no."_

"Well…we're kind of outta options here."

Joey had pointed out some reavers off in the distance. Yami shook his head fervently, perplexed at how this could possibly be helpful information.

"The hell good are  _they_  gonna do? We'll waste our last bullets trying to kill them if they spot us."

"Well not if we, you know," Joey gestured with his hands.

" _…what?"_

_"_ All we'd have to do is lure them down here and kill the riders."

Yami gaped. "That's  _all?_ Are you crazy? Are you dehydrated?" He gazed accusingly at the sand. "I knew this fucking desert was going to get to us. I  _hate_  deserts."

"No! No! I mean…maybe a little…but, this could  _work_ , Yami. We've done the same thing to gas barges! And, if you didn't notice," Joey thrust his arm out to the side, "Look around us! There's nothing! We'll be delirious or dead by the time we make it across this godforsaken shithole."

Yami pouted. "Yeah…I know…" he closed his eyes, frustrated. "Why the fuck did we come out here anyway? Were we trying to get killed?"

Joey whacked him upside the head. "This was  _your_  idea, you moron!" he griped. "Now, are you with me or not? Cuz if I die, it ain't gonna be because I went crazy and started eating sand in the middle of  _nowhere_ , thinkin' it was fucking  _pussy._ "

_Ew._ Yami laughed nervously, raking his hands through his filthy hair.  _This is insane._  Sighing, he calmed down and bit his lip. He glanced around and placed his hands on his hips, feeling his chest armor lift slightly off his numb shoulders.  _There really is nothing here._  His gaze lowered to the ground. It was his fault they were stuck here on a mission with almost no chance of success, based on the ravings of a half-dead lunatic refugee from the north. Exhaling deeply through his nose, he shook his head. He looked up, chewing on his tongue in thought.

"…yeah, ok, I'm with you. I must be crazy or suicidal, but, I'm with you."

Joey nodded. "Good." Spitting out sand from between his teeth, he grimaced at the sight of the reavers. Giant, squid-looking things with sharp fangs and clawed tentacles whose misshapen gray bodies were armed to the teeth with locust-grade plating. Topped with two locust riders who were completely shielded from frontal attacks by a mounted machine gun. They were tough to escape from, and harder to kill. Much less get away with what  _they_  were planning to do. Joey cringed.

_This really IS a stupid idea._

Taking a breath, Joey tried to enjoy what little time they had left. He glanced around, taking in the sights.

_Those clouds…are really something. And those rocks…yup. Breathtaking._ Joey snorted.

_I bet hell looks better than this._

And with that, Joey took out his flare gun and shot it into the air. He and Yami waited a few moments, studying the reavers' flight patterns. After a few seconds, Yami grunted.

"…they see it."

Joey nodded slowly. "Good. Let's get to work. Whichever way this goes, it's going to be quick."

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llllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll

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thump

_POUND POUND POUND_

The reaver dug its powerful spider-arms into the ground with heavy bladed tips, its companion not far behind. Hot, slick drool pooled on the ground beneath its fanged mouth. The lead locust shot at him, its grotesque milky-gray eyes sharp behind the flashes and bangs. Joey grit his teeth and dove behind a rock, using it as cover. It vibrated against his armor. He could feel every shot firing into the rock just as if it had been into his very back.

" _ARRRRRRGH!"_ Joey screamed, spinning around and firing. He managed to shoot out one of the front locust's eye before ducking down behind the stone as grenades rocketed towards him.

_Shit._

He launched himself to his side, going for a boulder he and Yami had painstakingly rolled into place. He still caught some of the shockwave from the blast though, and nearly bit off his tongue. Cheeks singed, he spat out his blood and hefted his gun.

_I just need one good shot,_  he thought desperately.

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lllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll

" _No_! You're wrong. I can  _do_  this, "Joey seethed. He viciously swiped at Yami. "Don't you tell me I can't."

Joey stared down Yami, his hazel irises burning with a single-minded intensity Yami knew would get him killed. Joey stood there defiantly, battered in armor that was covered in grime and dark blood. Dirty blonde hair hung across his face, greasy against Joey's hardened skin. He looked heavy, weighted down by invisible steel chains that fought his every movement. The slope of his shoulders was hunched, strained with tension and his whole body shivered with deeply-felt emotions he'd learned to push down.

Yami's eyes followed the discolored sliver of a line he observed on Joey's chest plates, almost sure that it was the remnants of the little good-bye words their friends had hastily scribbled on with bright pens. He remembered how embarrassed they both were, back then. They'd joked about cleaning it off so they wouldn't get made fun of from the other COGs, but…never got around to it.

_I'll see you when you get home._

_Good luck out there. I'll miss you._

_Don't forget about me!_

_I love you._

Yami almost choked. "Joey…you can't… _please_ …" he shook his head, trying to clear his thoughts. "She's too well protected. Buried deep underground surrounded by locusts and brumaks and reavers-" he cut off, laughing harshly. "She flies a goddamn  _tempest_. She's  _untouchable._ We can't even get to her without going through her armies, and…" Yami gestured around them. "We don't have an army."

It was gray, red, and black. They were on a silent battlefield. There were fires behind them, around them – consuming all of the corpses until every slain body on the field was unrecognizable. But that was okay. Yami didn't want to know. He'd seen enough of his people dead. He didn't need more faces haunting him in the night.

He forced himself to look away from the ground, from the charred bodies slowly being turned into ash. He kept his gaze on Joey. Joey. The only person he had left.

"Don't think about it." Joey said suddenly, his harsh gaze softening into concern. He gripped Yami's shoulder. "Don't think about…him _._ "

Yami trembled. How could he not? How could he not think about his life, his partner…his…

His heart ached with longing, squeezing in his chest.  _I never even told him._  His breath hitched.  _Now I'll never get the chance. We'll never have that life. It's over, it's over, it's over._

Yami lowered his head to his chest, trying not to sob. " _How_...how do you do it?" he cried, water filling his eyes. Tears dripped down his blackened cheeks, leaving tiny trails on his face where they'd wiped some of the dirt away. "I…I don't…I can't…"

Joey placed both hands on Yami's shoulders, trying not to slice himself on the armor. "I just don't think about it. I can't. I'd go crazy if I did." He said honestly, gulping self-consciously. "You gotta stop, Yami." He bit the inside of his lip, his brow furrowing. "You're gonna make me cry too."

Yami slowly lowered himself until he was kneeling, his lips curling around his teeth as he wept. "…I miss him," he whispered.

Joey followed him down, squatting. "I miss him too. I miss all of them. I…I miss my little buddy…" his voice got quieter. "And…I miss-" he broke off, snapping his head away to stare at the dirt, his teeth clenching so hard Yami was sure they'd crack.

Yami shook his head gently. "You don't have to say it. It's okay. I know." Joey's grip weakened, his hands falling to his sides. Yami lifted his other hand and placed it on Joey's shoulder in turn. "I'm sorry."

Joey sniffed, his lips pulled thin. "It's okay…I'm okay." Yami nodded. Holding onto each other's elbows, they pulled each other up.

Yami backed up a step, scrubbing his face. Joey looked off to the right, his eyes narrowing, jaw tightening. Yami sighed, fatigued.

_That stubborn ass._

"…you still want to go."

Joey turned back to Yami, his voice urgent. "I can  _do_ it."

"Joey-" Yami started to argue. Joey interrupted him.

_"-I just need one good shot!"_ he said desperately.

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" _Arrrrghhhh –_ we only have a few minutes Joey! THE OTHER REAVER IS COMING!"

Joey snarled. " _I know!"_ He shot the head locust between the eyes, exploding its head. The guts flew in all directions, blood covering the face of the locust behind him. Joey took his chance.

"NOW, YAMI NOW!"

Yami burst forth from the sand he'd been buried in and shot at the locust rider from behind.

Joey leaped forward as the reaver was turning and -dodging its many freakish limbs - grabbed onto its side. He yanked himself up between its legs and swung himself over the ridge, landing a foot away from the locust. Yami yelled and stopped firing, sprinting forward.

" _Fuck you, you locust scum-eating maggot!"_ Joey roared, revving his chainsaw.

He thrust upwards, slicing through the sternum all the up to the head. The locust split in half, its organs wrenching apart and spilling across Joey's boots. Its blood rained down on Joey, spurting like a hose.

Joey sputtered out locust blood.

"God, that's  _disgusting."_

_"_ I could use some help getting up there you  _asshole!"_

Yami was standing a few feet away from the reaver, unnerved. The reaver was going crazy, spinning around, trying to bend its legs backwards to claw off Joey –

" _Ahhh shit!"_ Joey cursed as he was flung forward, his face smushing against leathery skin. He grabbed onto what  _looked_  like the wheel –

_ROAR_

_Not the wheel not the wheel –_

Panicking, he grabbed the first dead locust's whose head had been shot off and lifted its hands to cover the mounted gun. His eyes shut tight and head leaned forward to prevent locust blood from dripping into his mouth or blinding him. He held his breath, listening. The reaver was getting quieter.

_Does that…?_

Feeling sick, he stroked the reaver with the dead locust's hands. It settled down. He wiped his face absentmindedly with the locust's arm.

_Ew ew ew – that was a mistake._  He shook his head.

" _Joey!"_

"Oh right, sorry buddy – "

Yami scoffed, shuffling his way between the locust legs and reached his arm out for Joey to pull him up. Joey strained, grumbling.

"You're so  _heavy,_  you fatass."

"Don't talk to me, you  _weakling."_

Joey snickered. "Okay, okay…how do we fly this thing?" Yami looked at him in disbelief.

"You always gotta ask  _dumbass_ questions?"

_ROAR_

_"_ Oh,  _fuck!"_

It was the other reaver.

Yami kneeled down and fired with his shotgun –

_BLAM BLAM BLAM_

The reaver howled, veering off. Joey smacked their reaver with the locust hand.

"I don't know how to fly this motherfu-"

_WHOOSH_

Joey screamed. The reaver took off, vaulting into the air, its legs trailing behind it like a comet's tail. Yami was thrown back against the ridge, trying to keep aim and shoot at the other reaver.

" _We're taking fire!_ " Yami screeched.

Joey experimentally slapped the reaver on the left side. The reaver veered left. Joey laughed hysterically.

"HAHAHA!  _I figured it out! I did it!"_ he cheered gleefully. Yami almost dislocated his shoulder twisting around to shoot.

_"Move over!"_ he bellowed.

Yami shoved Joey out of the way and took the helm at the machine gun. He blasted it at the other reaver.

_BRATATATATATAT_

Yami's body moved and vibrated in time to the firing bullets, the recoil forcing him to constantly scramble up to keep his footing. He'd gotten the two locust riders. Now it was just the reaver left.

"How do we go higher?" Joey smacked the reaver's behind.

_WHOOSH_

_"_ WILL YOU STOP THAT!"

"Sorry sorry! Hehe – that was fun- "

_BWOOSHM_

The reaver exploded into pieces, falling down into the sand waaaaaay below them. Yami felt dizzy. He collapsed against the machine gun, almost sliding on the slippery locust blood.  _Oh my god, finally. "_ I did it…." He mumbled, exhausted. "And my foot hurts."

Joey grinned. His face looked disgusting, locust blood all over it and  _everywhere_  in his hair down his neck – Yami was revolted. Joey cackled like a hyena. "Heh. That was a very squishy explosion," he giggled.

Yami chuckled. "Yeah. It was. Wait, are you paying attention to where we're going?"

Joey shrugged. "Uh, no?"

Yami could've strangled him. " _Would you mind?"_

"Yeah, yeah, yeah…keep your panties on."

Joey lifted his head over the ridge, dragging the locust carcass behind him.

"Uhhh…I think the reaver is heading back to its home base."

"What! Change course change course!"

Joey fumbled with the locust body. "…which way is north?"

"It's fucking that way, you dipshit," Yami snapped. Joey slapped the reaver.

"Yeah, baby…just like a  _stripper."_ Joey mimed humping the reaver. Yami guffawed.

"Haahaa – haahahhaha-" Yami laughed, squeezing his eyes shut with mirth. "Oh my  _god_ , you are such a pervert."

"Don't hate it cuz' you can't have it." Joey faced away, squeezing his asscheeks repeatedly. Yami choked, laughing.

"Oh my god, you nasty-"

Joey gasped. He whirled around.  _Oh my god._

"uh...how are we going to land?"

And just like that, Yami stopped laughing.

_Oh shit._

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hahaha! I made my weekly update yay. And in case anyone's unsure that totally was a flashback. And if anyone's curious...all these nasty monsters in here are just a google away! Also, I'm working on some fanart with Joey, Yami and Yuugi in their Gears Of War armor (was that a spoiler? It totally wasn't, right?). It's looking pretty sexy and badass so far. Thank you so much for your interest. <3 Anyway, until next time -


	3. I'm back, bitches!

Yami's skin was burning from this bullshit desert sun. He felt hot, sticky, and like shit. His leg still fucking hurt and he could just feel some fungus-mold thing growing inside of his suit, feeding off of his sweat and dead skin cells, chewing its way through his skin.

_It's gonna crawl outta my ass one day._ Yami grimaced, spitting out blood-reddened saliva.  _And eat me._

He eyed Joey, hating him. He hated Joey. He could've been happily dead right now or buried underneath a nice rock somewhere if not for Joey and his stupid ideas that Yami had never learned to ignore. Yami was quiet, sucking in his teeth and squinting from the bright-ass desert sunlight.

_Fuck you,_  he mouthed to Joey while flipping his middle finger.

Joey rolled his eyes, but didn't retaliate. He was every bit as hot and sticky and sore as Yami, but didn't feel alright to complain since it was his fault they were stuck on this flying deathtrap in the first place. With no way down.

He sighed in frustration, waving around the dead locust hand he'd sawed off hours ago. No matter what he did, whether he tapped, smacked, stroked, tickled, or groped the reaver the only thing he could fucking make it do was send them higher and higher into the air. He wondered when the stupid reaver would have some sense to stop, or if it would just fly into space if he told it to.

_Stupid, dumb locust-animal!_

Grimacing, he glanced around them. Hardly anything to see but desert for miles. And there hadn't been anything to see  _but_ desert for  _hours._  Only in the past twenty minutes had anything new appeared – facing the north blurry, indistinct lines danced around the horizon. That's where they were headed, assuming they didn't die from starvation, dehydration, impact from falling, or bullets from enemy reavers that could show up at any time, given the locusts' tendency to hide shit underground. Groaning, he dropped his head, trying to find some relief from the sun and sick of staring at endless blue sky and stupid white fluffy clouds.

Joey sniffed. "Uh…I guess we could…make a jump for it? Or like, chop off some of the reaver's legs so that it'd go down? Maybe?"

Yami snorted. "It would just throw us off. All it'd have to do is flip upside down and we'd probably be a squishy puddle of COG on the ground. Not that I think it's smart enough to do that or anything…"

"Yeah…"

Yami sighed. "But, I guess if we have to…we have to. Not now, though. There's still a lot of desert to cross."

"Does this thing need like…food? Do we have to feed it? Will we stop in the middle of nowhere when it gets hungry?" Joey wondered, his brows furrowed into a dopey expression.

"I don't fucking know. I'm more worried we're going to run into other reavers and have to fight them again." He gestured with his hand, sporting his brand-new locust gun. "This hammerburst will do okay, but the machine gun is almost tapped out and our lancer ammo is gone."

Joey nodded, thinking. "Okay…okay…well, if it comes to that, we can –  _what?"_

Yami had rudely shushed him, eyes suddenly alert and staring intensely at the sky. "Did you see that?" he said breathlessly.

Joey twisted his head around, looking at a bunch of empty sky.  _Nothin' there but a fuckton of baby blue._

"Um…no."

Yami frowned, concentrating. He squinted. Speaking slowly, he said "…it's over there. It's blue. I can't really tell if it's sky or not-"

"Well, it's probably sky then,"

Yami's left eye twitched in concentration.

He pointed urgently. "Right there! I saw it again! Didn't you see it?" he exclaimed, clearly out of his mind and hallucinating crap that wasn't there.

Joey frowned. "No, I didn't see shit. You're just like, desert-crazy."

Yami jumped to his feet, bursting with energy. "Oh my god, oh my god," he gasped. "I see it! I see it!"

Joey stood up too, sour and grumpy. "See  _what_?" he snapped.

BLEEP

_*crackle*_

_thisshig rrrerrk_

A familiar voice boomed out of static-y loudspeakers, gritty deep tones bursting with arrogance, cynicism, and a level of snark that came from years of being a complete asshole.

**"I'M BACK, BITCHES"**

Joey cursed, dreading the maniacal, villainous laugh that had surely taken years of practicing in front of a mirror to master -

**"AHAHAHHAHAHA"**

_There it was._

Joey scowled, his forehead veins pulsing uncontrollably. "What the  _fuck_ does he want?"

Kaiba –  _rotten piece of shit_  - was piloting his glorious, newly furnished Blue Eyes White Dragon jet. It burst through dainty white clouds, sparkling brilliantly, almost as bright as the –  _did he fucking polish it?_

Joey lost it. "Fucking KAIBA THAT COLOSSAL PRICK WHAT THE FUCK IS HE DOIN HERE! " he yelled, stomping his feet. "IN'IS SHINY ASS GODDAMN PLANE!" He was ready to just jump off the edge, and  _fucking die._

_NOT THIS DICK AGAIN_

_"I can't believe he polished it."_  Yami whispered. "He actually bothered to fucking polish it." Yami shook his head, incredulous. "I can't believe he found it! And even got it working again!" Grinning, he turned to Joey. "Sure solves our problem, doesn't it? This is incredible!" Yami said, visibly relieved. "It's a miracle!"

"LIKE HELL IT IS!"

*crackle*

**"I see you losers are trying to pilot a half-dead reaver, and I bet you've got no way of landing. You dimwitted, asinine, backwater simpletons never think ahead, do you? You're probably going to die soon,"**  Kaiba said smugly.

He pulled up closer to them in the air.  **"Not that I care…but I** ** _am_** **running out of people to jump in front of bullets for me. Perhaps you'd like to apply for the position?"**

Joey almost choked on his spit.

Kaiba cackled, clearly drunk on his ego, insanity, and a sense of complete power over his 'friend's' life or deaths. Joey could hear him smirking through the speakers.

Yami's mood soured, and he held his nose high and placed his hands squarely on his hips in a domineering posture that reminded Joey of how tight-assed Yami used to be. His old voice came out of nowhere, all deep and commanding and shit. Joey scowled.  _Show-off._

"After all these years, he still refuses to recognize the merits of teamwork." He shook his head solemnly, every line in his face frowning as – Joey assumed – he philosophically contemplated the douche-baggery that had reentered their lives. "Kaiba!" he called out politely. –  _fucking suck up hypocrite -_ "We request permission to board your ship, if it isn't too much trouble to take pity on a few old friends."

**"I assume you're stating how enthusiastic and willing you'll be at your job. I'm looking for people who will really commit,"** Kaiba paused.  **"To dying for me."** He laughed again.

Joey almost pushed Yami off the reaver. "Don't  _fucking encourage him!"_

A wistful sigh, fake as a three dollar bill or a hooker's left boob wafted over the speakers.  **"Fine, fine. I'm lowering the hangars. It's on you to steer that shit excuse you desperate motherfuckers are flying on inside. Please take care not to dirty my new rugs with your putrid COG-reject filth."**

Joey scowled. "I'm not going. I'd rather die," he hissed.

Yami rolled his eyes. "Listen, we'll get on there and figure out something to do okay - ?"

BLEEP

**"Oh, did I forget to mention? The only way on board is to** **_suck my dick."_ **

_thisshig rrrerrk_

**_"_ ** **AHAHAHAHAHAHA!"**

*crackle*

"I'M STAYING ON THE REAVER"

"JOEY"

"NO FUCK THIS GUY"

"CAN YOU NOT" Yami exploded. He threw his hands in the air, any remnant of his composure gone. " _Can you be real?_  For JUST ONE  _SECOND!?"_ he screamed hysterically, leaning forward as spit flew from his mouth. He was ready to saw Joey in half and drag the dumb blonde on board with him in pieces. "Like, can you be a  _real person_  for JUST ONE  _FUCKING_  SECOND OH MY GOD JOEY"

Joey roared, brandishing his newly-acquired hammerburst. "I'd rather be a fucking  _unicorn_ if it meant I didn't have tuh look at _Kaiba's dumb shit asshole face ever again – "_

*crackle*

**"Looks like you dumb shits are arguing. Again, I assume it'll be over who gets to suck my dick and who gets to die for me. I need one person for each, you know."**

Joey almost had a hernia.

" _WHAT DID HE – I AM GONNA RIP HIS FUCKING SMUG PIECE OF SHIT DUMBASS – NO – NO – DON'T YOU DARE – OH MY GOD YOU DICK YOU DICK STOP - AAAARRRGH YOU SON OF A BITCH I'LL KILL YOU – "_

Joey slumped over after Yami rammed his head in with the butt of his gun. Three times. Yami gasped, finally able to breathe after Joey had passed out and stopped strangling him. Massaging his throat, Yami kicked Joey's unconscious body in the gut and hoped it'd hurt like a bitch when that unreasonable blockhead woke up. Snatching the nasty dead locust-carcass off the ground and resisting the urge to kick Joey one more time, Yami waved Kaiba down and steered the dying, about-to-explode-reaver into the shiny white plane.

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The mess was horrendous. Reaver-shit everywhere, locust blood soaking into the carpet. Yami had barely dragged Joey's ass off the thing when it decided to explode right then and there. They were covered from head to foot in rotting, heated carcass.

Kaiba's beautiful, tastefully decorated interior was decidedly ruined. Yami poked Joey's cheek, feeling guilty, yet somewhat satisfied.

_That'll cheer him up._

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"OoooOooOoOooo…" Joey groaned, shifting. He was lying face-down on cold tile. He felt like crap, and his eyelids were glued together by eye-poopoo. He could feel a bump or a bruise forming on his head, and his chest-armor had probably dug into his ribs by now. Every part of him was stiff, and uncooperative.

_Ugh, my head…_ he climbed up on his elbows and cracked open his eyes blearily, just now noticing the repulsive odor that filled his nose. A bunch of shiny white stuff entered his vision.  _Shit…shit!_

Suddenly alert, Joey twisted his head around, hoping to god he was stuck inside of a white fluffy cloud, and not stuck inside of –  _shit!_

_"Yami!"_ he bellowed.

"WHAT!?" came Yami's irritable voice, seemingly from nowhere as it bounced around the chamber.

Joey twisted his head around, looking for Yami. His eyes widened -  _gone_  were the pristine white surfaces of the tiled stairs he'd been facing - everything behind him was covered in reaver shit.  _Hehe. His ship looks like reaver shit._ He managed to crack a grin through the inches of shit that was caked onto his face – blood, dirt, oil, gunpowder, sand, sweat, and whatever crap he'd been rolling around in for the past ten years. Unsteadily, he rose to his feet.

_Where's my gun?_

Aha. He spotted Yami some ten feet away, resting on top of what was probably once a white couch, circa 30-60 minutes ago.

"Where's my gun?"

"Think I'd leave it with you? Please. Give me some credit here. You look ready to blow up this whole damn place."

"Just open the hangars and let me jump to my death! Quick, before  _he_  shows up – "

"Oh, you wouldn't happen to be talking about  _me,_  would you?"

Joey jumped, wildly spinning around in the direction of the new voice. Kaiba was descending little white steps down into the hangar deck.

Kaiba's sadistic voice grated on Joey's ears. "Now, when we do this, you'll have to fight all of your primitive instincts and be a  _good_ little mutt. You wouldn't dare bite your  _master,_  after all." Kaiba grinned.

At the sight of Kaiba and his stupid mullet-bowl haircut Joey rushed at him in rage, arms ready to strangle that skinny white neck with his bare hands.

"FUCK…YOU!" Joey wrung Kaiba's neck, practically trying to pry it loose from his ugly-bitch head.

Kaiba punched Joey in the face repeatedly as Yami leapt forward off his seat and looped his arms around Joey's shoulders, trying to rip him off.

" _Joey!"_

"JUST LET ME HAVE THIS"

With great effort and struggle, Yami finally got Joey an inch away from Kaiba, who immediately tazed both of them. They leapt apart, shouting in pain as electricity ran through their bodies. Yami flew backwards and landed hard, his bulky armor whipping his neck painfully.

" _Ahaaaahahahahahah!"_  Kaiba laughed, voice hoarse and scratchy.

Joey doubled over, arms over his stomach. He looked up, his vision of Kaiba ruefully rubbing his neck ruined with stray strands of blonde hair. "Fucking…prick…" he breathed heavily.

Kaiba paused, clearly trying to hold back a smirk and failing spectacularly. "On second thought, I don't think you're worthy of being anywhere  _near_  my dick. Yami will do a finer job of blowing me anyway, rather than a whore mongrel like you - "

"I'm not sucking anyone's dick!" Yami said hotly.

"It's not like you haven't  _before - "_

Yami waved his arm in a definitive  _no,_  his chin lowering to his chest and his voice booming. "I'll not tolerate this nonsense!" he yelled, his gaze intense and heated on Kaiba's one good eye. "Do you think I've lost all respect for myself, or for what we  _do?_  The war, though lost, continues through us – the last surviving soldiers – as humanity's only beacons, their only hopes of salvation! It is our burden – no, our  _privilege_  to uphold mankind's greatest achievement and perform the impossible once again – and  _reconquer earth!"_  Yami vehemently declared, his arm ending in a clenched fist.

His nails dug into his palms and he spared a glance at his hand, upraised into the air like a flag.

Startled, he paused, his venom and passion surprising him. His posture faltered, his arm lowering and his old confidence leaked out of his shoes.  _What am I saying?_

Yami held his face in his hands, trying to clear his thoughts.

"God, you're such a  _buzzkill."_ Kaiba yawned indifferently. "Just blow me and let's get this over with."

"Fucking - !  _We're wastin' time_  discussin who better to jerk you off, Kaiba!" Joey shouted incredulously, inching towards Yami and trying to block him from Kaiba's rape-y line of vision. "And anyway, aren't you  _straight?"_

Kaiba sniffed aloofly. "You clearly haven't a clue of what you speak of. And if you haven't noticed, there aren't exactly a lot of  _options_ ," Kaiba said dryly. "How else could I possibly consider…" he motioned towards Joey. "At any rate, you should know by now that I'm just trying to piss you off, as I enjoy making your lives miserable."

Joey snorted, his eye muscles paining him to look at Kaiba's pasty white face.  _Can't believe I'm stuck with this dickwad again._

Kaiba snapped his fingers, ten years of war having done nothing to rid him of his straight-backed elitism. He sucked his teeth twice.  _Tsk tsk._  "Follow me. Normally I wouldn't even  _think_  of allowing you further into my plane dressed as you are and covered in blood and horseshit, but I have something you need to see."

"It's not your dick, is it?"

Kaiba laughed again, throwing his head back and baring his teeth.

Yami, still quiet, stared at Kaiba through his fingers. Yami remembered him so differently.

As his laughter faded it sank deeper into a dark chuckle, his head slowly rotating till Kaiba faced the floor, his wild brown hair curtaining his face. His laugh then was silent, just a few sporadic gasps as his shoulders and back shook. Yami frowned. Kaiba always laughed like this. Eyes held wide open like he was crazy, or in pain.

Straightening, Kaiba quieted and locked gazes with Yami. The corners of his mouth lowered into a more familiar scowl, and his eye regained focus.

"No…no…I've recently discovered what sunk Domino City."

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"RUN! We need to get out!"

Yami shoved Yuugi toward the stairs, Joey right behind him with Serenity. The building was shaking, steel beams groaning as the ground they stood on fell apart.

" _Go go go!"_ Joey yelled.

They hurled themselves down the stairs, trying to slide on the railing and get to the ground floor as fast as possible. Small debris rained down on them, and Yami knew it was only a matter of time before the ceiling collapsed and they were all dead. Half of the building was already gone – crushed as it plummeted towards the sinkhole below, which only got wider and wider as it swallowed entire battalions and panicking civilians – all who perished as the sinkhole split Domino in half. It was a canyon erupting out of the earth, devouring everything. Even the screams couldn't be heard over the roar of the destruction.

Building, skyscrapers, houses, tanks all disappeared into the hole - Yami didn't look, didn't glance, not once. He had a job to do. Someone he needed to save.

" _NO!"_ Yuugi screeched, clawing at Yami, trying to pry himself free from Yami's death grip around his back. " _Don't do this!"_ he sobbed. "Please,  _let me go back!"_ he pounded Yami's shoulders, scratched his face and neck, screaming – "LET ME GO!"

Yami determinedly ignored Yuugi's cries, focused on getting them both out of the building in one piece. Joey was further ahead, his longer legs giving him the advantage as he and Serenity bolted out the doorway. Yami lunged forward, Yuugi scrambling in his arms.

_THROOM_

_Wrshhhhhh_

The remains of the building vanished into the sinkhole behind them. There was no evidence that anything was down in that dark void, save for the hungry night. Yami knew he couldn't stop. Gasping, he let Yuugi's flailing body go and grabbed onto his collar. Yuugi had ceased his struggling and dissolved into a slobbery mess on the hard concrete. Yami dragged him away, following Joey.

"… _grandpa,"_  Yuugi sobbed brokenly. Tears poured down his cheeks, his forehead pounding, his head aching. He didn't know what to think. He closed his eyes and looked away from the carnage. He felt pressure around his neck and could hardly breathe, his thighs burning from being mercilessly scraped over black pavement. "Grand pa…how  _could_  you, Yami? How could you leave him?" he whispered, straining his neck to look at the back of Yami's head.  _How could you leave behind my family?_

Yami finally caught up to Joey, who hadn't broken stride. "Where are we going?"

"To Kaiba's," Joey said curtly, his strong fingers wrapped around Serenity's forearm. "He has a helicopter."

Yami nodded. "Good, good…" He hefted Yuugi, trying to get him to stand up.

Yuugi spasmed, waving his arms till he was free from Yami's vice-like hold. Grief painted across his features, he brushed past Yami roughly and strode ahead as fast as his legs would allow. "I know the way," he said stiffly.

Yami quietly kept pace. Their exhaustion prevented them from running as fast as they should have been. The ground still rumbled around them, but nothing moved. Serenity glanced behind them.

"It looks like the sinkhole is going the other way," she said softly, face still frozen in shock. Her large eyes glassed over, her hair shielding her face as she tilted her head down. "…what if…what if Kaiba's not there?"

_Then we'll die._ Joey released her arm and threw his around her shoulders, drawing her closer. "He will be. It'll be okay. Don't worry."

His brow permanently furrowed, Yuugi tucked his head under Joey's left shoulder. Yami pointedly looked away as Serenity and Yuugi both wrapped their arms around Joey for comfort. Sniffing, Yuugi glanced at Joey with watery eyes. "Where…where is Tea? Tristan?"

"I don't know, Yuugi," Joey replied, his voice harsh as he stared ahead.

Uncertain, Serenity glanced at Yuugi's crushed face out of the corner of her eye. Biting her lip, she walked around Joey to Yuugi, and pulled him into a hug. "I'm sorry Yuugi…I'm sorry…I'm sorry, I'm sorry…" she whispered over and over into his ear.

The city was screaming behind them. What was left of it, anyway. Even before today more than half the population had been decimated by the war. They walked by houses and streets and buildings that hadn't seen life in months. Everything they saw was tainted with abandonment, gray and cold and dark. Paint that hadn't faded or been ripped away was smeared with blood and feces, old battle scars from E-day. There were no corpses, only scratches and claw marks in the pavement where wild animals had eaten the decaying flesh of the dead.

Serenity whispered reassuringly to Yuugi. "I'm sure Tristan got out okay. And Tea too. They've been through tough situations before," she soothed, her honey-kind words dripping with hope.

Yuugi nodded silently.  _Maybe Kaiba can find them when we're in the air._ He winced when Yami spoke up behind them.

"There aren't any locusts here."

Joey exhaled slowly. "Dunno why. You'd think they'd be here, picking us off but…"

Yami walked forward alongside them. "The COGs don't tell us much. I know we're not high-ranked yet, but…" he frowned, concentrating. "I heard…I know this happened in other cities. Sinking."

"Sinking?" Yuugi squeaked. "Not whole cities – it can't be! Ryou said their technology was only as advanced as ours, not more."

"Don't worry about that right now," Joey interrupted. "We need t'focus on finding Kaiba. That's it."

Joey searched the skies, the sun rising in front of him. He kept the desperation off his face.

_Please Kaiba…please._

Yuugi turned to Yami, his eyes still wet.

"… _you left my family behind,"_ he said viciously, teeth bared.

Far below them, the ground rumbled.

Yami jutted his jaw out and pursed his lips. His voice came out low and quiet, his eyes staring straight ahead. "…I'm sorry Yuugi. I had to save you."

Yuugi stopped in the middle of the road and stabbed his finger at Yami, standing alone as Serenity retreated to Joey. "You should have let me  _die_ there Yami! You did  _everything_  to save me, but not him! Not him! You don't give a shit about me, you just want me around to, to – "

"To  _what,_  Yuugi?" Yami interrupted, his eyes fierce. "I  _saved your life_. I'm sorry but I couldn't save your grandfather! He was old, and weak and slow – he was  _never_  going to make it, Yuugi!" Yami shouted. "Don't point your finger at me! You  _knew_ that you  _had_ to have known that. How was he supposed to survive the war?"

The chasm changed directions; the opening was heading east now -

" _You could've helped him!"_ Yuugi screamed, his voice hoarse. "You could've – you could've - " Yuugi shook his head violently, his arms tense with rage. "You would do everything to save me! Why not him, Yami?  _Why not him?_ " Yuugi's voice faltered, his anger bleeding into his grief. His tongue twisted and his skin turned red, blood pulsing through him. "Why…why didn't you save him, Yami?" his eyes squinted as they filled up with tears, his lips pulled down as they trembled. "Why didn't you do that for me…? I thought you…I thought you…"

"I – Yuugi, I do I just - "

_CRACK_

_Wrshhhhhh_

The ground gave way behind them, cracks outlining small discs of pavement as they sunk into the earth - the massive sinkholes strewn across Domino were combining, anything between them falling below into the darkness – nothing there - nothing down there just black emptiness – it was all disappearing vanishing everything was gone – they were going to die -

**_Whup-whup-whup-whup-whup-whup_ **

_"KAIBA!"_ Joey gasped, out of breath from running.

Kaiba's helicopter was silhouetted by the sunrise as it slowly descended in between the buildings with Mokuba piloting. Kaiba's long coat rippled in the wind, framing him as he stood tall by the entrance.  _"Get in here before I change my mind!"_ he snarled.

The buildings lining the streets were collapsing, and they ran they ran – " _Hurry up!_  The debris - !"

Joey dived into the helicopter, spinning around to pull Serenity up with him. Kaiba yanked in Yami who had Yuugi in tow.

"Mokuba get us the  _fuck out of here!"_

And they were ascending, the falling rocks starting to shrink as they got higher –

_CRASH_

The helicopter was hit by the falling plaster, its tail flaming and smoke billowing -

" _SERENITY!"_

She was losing her footing in the chaos as the helicopter spun and jerked around, her hair flying – Joey lunged towards his sister, but her hands slipped through his fingers and she was sailing, sailing into the night -

Joey launched off the copter, ready to follow her into the blackness – ready to save her or die with her –

" _NO!"_ Joey screamed. "NO NO NO STOP – PLEASE –  _PLEASE – LET ME GO - "_

Joey's head whipped around in the wind as he hung upside-down from the helicopter. He kicked his feet, struggling – she was getting smaller and smaller –  _no –_

_"AAAAAAGGGHGHG!"_ he wailed, still trying to break free.

The helicopter surged upwards, flying above the sinking city, the sun blinding them as it rose higher in the sky.

" _NOOOOOO…no…no…"_ Joey sobbed. They were over solid ground now. She was gone, buried under a street's worth of steel and concrete. His body finally hung limp, his sobs wracking his body. He couldn't see anything, except bright light piercing his lids. He felt metal railing pressing into his back and knocking him hard as someone dragged him up, pulling him back into the helicopter.

Joey couldn't look, didn't want to look at the person who had saved him.  _Yami…why…why_ Joey cried.  _I thought you would understand. I thought...you would've done it too. For him._

Then he saw that it wasn't Yami's COG boots next to his face – it was a nice pair of shiny black leather boots. Joey gnashed his teeth. "… _Kaiba."_  Without a thought, Joey surged to his feet and attacked Kaiba, pounding him with his fists and kneeing him the gut. " _How dare you – how fucking dare you - "_ Blood rushed from Kaiba's face, who did nothing as Joey beat the life out of him – Joey grabbed strong onto Kaiba's shoulders and rammed his head and chest into the floor, Kaiba's chin jutting out as his skull was savagely pummeled against metal clipping and knobs -

"Joey stop!  _Stop!"_

Yami forced Joey into a headlock, his back arching as he strained to separate Joey and Kaiba. Yuugi wrapped himself around Joey's arm, yelling at him to stop.

"Joey  _please!"_ Yuugi sobbed. "He saved your life!"

"No…he – DIDN'T!" Joey yanked at Yami's arm, trying to throw him off – "I could've saved her!  _I could've saved her!"_ Joey yelled.

_BAM_

Kaiba punched Joey, breaking his nose. Joey sank to the floor, Yami still choking him.

He curled on the floor, shaking. Yami let go.

Lying on the floor weeping, Joey tilted his head away from the sun and faced west. His mouth trembled and he almost cracked his teeth.

_Serenity._

He could still see where Domino used to be, a black hole that spanned miles across. Yuugi, tears streaming down his face knelt next to Joey and rested his head on Joey's back. His sobs reverberated through Joey's body. Joey didn't fight and succumbed to the misery eating at his soul, until he couldn't see the sky or the horizon anymore – he just saw Serenity, smiling on the inside of his eyelids. All he could see was her.

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He clenched his fists.  _I'll_ _burn it to the ground._

"Kaiba…" Joey growled. His eyes were feral, staring into Kaiba as if he could light him on fire with the force of his gaze. Vigor filled his bones with a need to survive and fight and  _win_  that had forsaken him long ago. It overwhelmed him, the aura of death that flooded his senses making him thirsty for locust-blood.

Kaiba's deformed gray eye stared back at him, unfocused but sharp and filled with a darkness that unhinged Kaiba, a trait that made him deadly and unpredictable in a way he'd never been before the war. His thin lips pulled into a grin that was equal parts insane and broken, a chuckle bubbling deep in his throat.

Yami had lowered his hands and was concentrating, itching, apprehensive of Kaiba's motives. He knew better than to trust a death-maddened fox.

Kaiba gestured behind him. "Right this way, ladies." He laughed. "You're going to  _love_  this."

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**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ahhhhh. I'm a LITTLE late, but still within two weeks and I said it'd be this week so HA. Also, the building Yuugi&Yami&Serenity&Joey were in was a COG research facility or something. 
> 
> AND either next chapter or the one after I'll have Yuugi in his chapter 10 or so Gears of War armor! He looks fucking sexy and fucking metal, and I can't wait for you guys to see it!
> 
> Until next time!


	4. Yugi Muto: Ready for Battle! Fanart

Here is my Yugi Muto: Ready for Battle! Fanart. This is his armor, modeled after Jungle Tai's from Gears of War. Chapter 4 will be up next week. Thanks and enjoy! <3

**Author's Note:**

> Lots of explosions and shit and etc. I love playing Gears of War and I love yugioh and knew that the world would not be complete without Yami and Joey in badass COG armor.  
> Poor Yami. He is totally sick of deserts by now.  
> Anyway if you couldn't tell there is going to be a lot of cussing in this fic and some bromance and regular romance. Enjoy!


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